Team sources: Chances of Sheff "very slim"
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Team sources: Chances of Sheff "very slim"
Andy Martino
A name like Gary Sheffield is guaranteed to create buzz, both for and against the idea of bringing him in. Though the lines of communication are open between the Phillies and the 40-year-old slugger, multiple team sources told the Inquirer that chances of signing Sheffield are, in the words of one official, "very slim."
Ruben Amaro Jr. would only say that the parties had spoken today, and declined to comment whether Sheffield would accept a part-time role.
I posed that last question to Sheffield's agent Rufus Williams a few minutes ago. He said: "As we look for our options over the next few days, we'll decide what the best role will be. (A part-time role) is not off the table; nothing is off the table."
A few reasons points against Sheffield being a fit with the Phillies:
1. He is not a pinch hitter.
2. He batted .225 last season, albeit with 19 home runs.
3. He is not really an outfielder anymore after playing only six games in the field last season.
4. We have to be careful with character stuff, because sometimes reputations are unfairly assigned. But Sheffield's reputation as a clubhouse influence is not sterling among some in baseball. The Phillies front office values team chemistry very highly, and signed Raul Ibanez partly as a result of this strategy.
Comments (35)
Andy, When are we going to hear that Moyer or Dubee or spoke with Happ, and Happ totally understands that no team goes through a season with only five starters, and that he is first in line, and the Phillies still love him and the fans are still rooting for him, and he'll have his chance to win games in the bigs?— smel4727- Park pitched well in Spring training, great. Happ is young and has a future with this team. He should get the nod.— KevinRx
- 1. He would be a pinch hitter if the Phils signed him 2. He had a better year than Jenkins 3. And Stairs IS an outfielder? 4. Irrelevant
Comment removed.- He's going to stay in the American league as a DH.— MD20202020
- Sheffield is by far and away a cancer....he is also by far and away the most dangerous RH hitter we could add to our bench. He does scare people and that's what you want lurking in the late innings...you bring him in and the opposing manager is guaranteed to bring in a RP....then the dance begins, lefty, righty until they are all out of LH relievers and our LH pinchhitters blow the game open. He will not be a cancer on this team, he is a small cog and will be respectful of what his teammates have won. He will have to blend in and get along. Cholly and a few other players in that locker room will not tolerate anything else. He isn't a T.O., he can't destroy this Phillies team, and he also wants that 500th HR....what better band box than ours to hit it in?— Mark1npt
- I agree with MD20202020 that Sheffield will stay in AL.— CenterCityPhan
- Ughhhh.... I do NOT want the phils to sign Sheffield. I dont want to hear all the steroid controversey. Plus he seems like a real jerk. Why would they bring a guy like that into such a "team first" lockeroom?— lobstrocities
- NO NO NO NO NO!!!— adman
- Mark1npt ... I understand and agree with what you have said. I don't see a need for a righty power hitter on the bench at this point. Our biggest problem last year was not HR production it was a righty with bat control which Cairo seems to be for now.— Wally 24
- What has Sheffield done since he stopped juicing? Who needs him? Not the Phils!— Brauny
- Is Sheffield any good without steroids at this ripe old age?— Neal Obstat
- Please never use the term "We" in your blogs Mr. Martino. "We" are not carpet baggers like yourself. "We" are die hard Philly sports fans. "We" will question Sheffield's character all "we" want.— Charlie Mustgo
- Comment removed.
- Look we all know that Sheff has power and is a decent hitter, but he won't fit in with this clubhouse AT ALL.. He belongs in the AL as a DH and not coming off the bench.. My thoughts: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"— AtlanticDJN
- I think Rollins and Utley, especially would put Sheffield in his place.— bobbyuk
- Comment removed.
- Charlie Mustgo, I don't think Andy was saying we shouldn't question Sheffield's character. I think he was saying that we should be careful when we get caught up in such things, but in this case, a question or two might be more than appropriate. At least that's how I read it. Banned 3 times, if you want to pick on the writer for a typo, maybe you should learn to capitalize proper nouns and punctuate direct address properly. That might give you a tad more credibility. Neal Obstat and Wally, you said it all. At this point in his career, Sheffield isn't going to give the team anything that Cairo can't provide.— Scorekeeper
- Sheffield is nothing more than a name.— bobbyd24
- charlie mustgo ... "we" need to switch to decaf— GoPhilsGo
- Maybe they're considering Sheffield as a temp until Mayberry gets some more experience at AAA.— DDiceRC
- CAPITILIZING posts are annoying to read, so I ignore them. That said, taking Sheff for in the last year of his contract at 400k is worth the risk. He has shown in the past that he plays for the next contract.— mikemaddog
- I met Sheffield in Tampa at a restaurant last year, couldn't have been a nicer guy. Plus he hits the ball a ton FROM THE RIGHT SIDE!
- The release of Jenkins and the looming release/trade of Stairs make you wonder what they have up their collective sleeves. Maybe the financial windfall from last year has allowed them to make this bold move and rid themselves of non-productive players once and for all. One thing is for sure they are on the move and it seems like a trade is in the wind. If Charlie didn’t take Manny out of the free agent market I doubt he will want Sheffield but I got a feeling they do have some one in mind and that’s why they’re clearing the bench. Could be pretty exciting around here in the next few weeks.— Wally 24
- Sheffield is old, not up to the task, saw him last weekend-- not very good. I think we should pass— Joe Gonnelli
- let's just hope the name of sheffield goes away.— JACK V
- I don't think they're releasing Stairs, he is the second lefty bat off the bench after Dobbs, which is why I don't think they sign Sheffield. They can't have two players off the bench who can't play in the field.— KMG
- Charlie Mustgo ... "we" need to switch to decaf.— GoPhilsGo
No Roiders please- Sheff brings alot of RH potetntial to the mix....still....his locker room work is less than stellar....keep working on Alou.— Grazman
- The only thing Sheff is concered about is '500'. Pass!— mengler
- How old are you? Sheffield has been a problem everywhere he's been, from Milwaukee on.— drbob456
- Sign Sil Campusano, jimmymack or TBear, but not the toxic Shef.— mick314
- It is SO tempting to bring Sheffield in as a partial platoon man against lefties on this essentially left-handed hitting team. If he can deal with appearances in about 50-60 games, bring him on. That is the main question.— john newlin
- Perhaps Sheffield is this year's fools joke.— James TL
1
About this blog
The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
Search this blog:
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
